01. Deleted Scenes I: In The Hallway Of Crawling Filth02. The Elevator Beneath The Valve03. Pendulum Prey (Second Incarceration)04. Isolation Cubicle 31205. Entangled In Mannequin Limbs06. This, Then, Is Paradise?07. One Day You Will Understand Why08. Deleted Scenes II: In The Gauze-Womb Of The God Becoming

Beginning with the very first riff of the very first Black Sabbath album, atmosphere has played a significant role in metal music. People who like a lot of atmosphere in their metal will enjoy in Deleted Scenes From the Transition Hospital by Axis of Perdition. Fans who prefer music in their metal will listen about halfway through before they give up in frustration.
The band's priority here is obviously to create a bleak mood. Given that they take their inspiration from the Silent Hill video games and from the writings of H.P. Lovecraft and Ramsey Campbell, this is to be expected. However, the product that we are left with here is not a metal album so much as it is the audio track from a horror film. Of the 55:42 that make up this disc, a full 25 minutes of it (by my count) is sound effect - no rhythm, no melody, no instrumentation, no vocals (unless one counts horror-film moaning as vocals). For several more minutes of the remaining portion, the music is dominated by the noise, and is almost undetectable. On those occasions when the guitar actually comes to the fore, it is used as mere accompaniment to the dissonant ringing, static, and metallic clanging that form the core of the sound. The effect is exacerbated by the use of drum machine, which I am sure is meant to further create an atmosphere of urban isolation. Unfortunately, it also strengthens the impression that the group didn't care much about the music part of their craft when creating the album.
To be sure, Axis of Perdition have achieved the desired atmosphere, and I must give credit to them for creating a sense of unease that hasn't been achieved by even some of the bleakest of Atmospheric Black Metal albums. The problem, though, is that the listener has to work too hard for it. Some albums require a close listen in order to appreciate subtleties in the arrangements that, when detected, enhance the experience. In Deleted Scenes, the listener has to pay close attention just to follow along.
This album would be the perfect soundtrack for a Call of Cthulhu role-playing campaign. Under any other circumstances, it is just too laborious to get through.

That's one of the reasons I love this album. It's really just about the aesthetics, but they pull it off well. I will give you that this album is only marginally "music", but it's still an unforgettable experience.

halfnakedsnake - 10.08.2008 at 21:10

if you dont like it dont listen to it mate. never understood why people who dont enjoy something in the first place insist on reviewing it.

if you dont like it dont listen to it mate. never understood why people who dont enjoy something in the first place insist on reviewing it.

and I never understood people who claim you should only review good albums....

thats not something i have claimed. you would know that if you had taken the time to read my comment and the review i was commenting on. thanks.

Dude I was just saying, "never understood why people who dont enjoy something in the first place insist on reviewing it." makes it sound it that there only should be good reviews. People always need vents to things.

if you dont like it dont listen to it mate. never understood why people who dont enjoy something in the first place insist on reviewing it.

and I never understood people who claim you should only review good albums....

thats not something i have claimed. you would know that if you had taken the time to read my comment and the review i was commenting on. thanks.

Dude I was just saying, "never understood why people who dont enjoy something in the first place insist on reviewing it." makes it sound it that there only should be good reviews. People always need vents to things.

i agree completely that reviews should not always be good and sorry for any misconceptions about the post. i do however feel that this was an unfair outlook of an album by a person which did not wish to try to understand the music from the outset.

Smurfkiller - 07.11.2008 at 00:22

I really disagree with the score of this review. The music and atmosphere is fantastic.